Chapter 696: Splendor Like a Dream

Su Yuanbai had no choice but to warn him.

"Grand Commander-in-Chief, if you massacre Yanjing, I fear Meng Shanming will retaliate wantonly inside Song."

Luo Zhao seized his wrist and said forcefully, "Shrinking back and yielding on a battlefield gains you nothing!"

"Elder Su, even setting the massacre aside, so long as we take Yanjing, we will hold an entire city's worth of hostages."

"That alone gives Song bargaining chips for negotiations with Yan."

"If the court orders us to withdraw, we still have to cross the Dongyu River."

"What happens if Meng Shanming seals the great river and strands us on this side until our grain runs out?"

"No matter how the final situation develops, we must secure enough bargaining leverage for the court!"

"But the court may not think this way. They may do nothing but urge us to retreat."

"Elders, I ask all of you to lend me your strength!"

His words were earnest.

Blood still stained the corner of his mouth, and expectation showed plainly in his face.

Right now Luo Zhao desperately needed the support of the three major sects.

His position as a son-in-law of Lingxiao Pavilion also made that support easier to obtain.

Su Yuanbai, Dong Yinglai, and Chang Fei looked at one another.

All three felt Luo Zhao's reasoning made sense.

...

"Ha ha! Ha ha!"

Standing on a hillside and looking toward Song's army in the distance, Shang Chaozong threw back his head and laughed with unrestrained delight.

In his hand was the victory report Meng Shanming had sent back.

Song's two million elite river-defense troops had been swept away in one stroke within such a short period of time.

At last, hope had appeared amid Great Yan's crisis of national destruction.

The Shang clan's foundation might be preserved.

How could Shang Chaozong not be pleased?

He pointed toward Song's distant army.

"Luo Zhao has now fallen into a dilemma where neither advance nor retreat is easy."

"Even if he returns alive, I fear he will face men throwing stones down the well from every side."

"Retribution indeed."

"How satisfying!"

Beside him, Huang Lie, Sect Leader of Dachan Mountain, clapped his hands excitedly.

"Marshal Meng is Marshal Meng. The moment he personally took the field, he truly proved extraordinary."

"He swept aside two million elite troops as though crushing rotten wood."

"With six hundred thousand prisoners in hand, the danger to Yanjing should be resolvable."

The war had reached this stage.

Under adverse circumstances, they had actually reversed the situation.

Huang Lie could finally breathe easier.

If the war ended sooner, Dachan Mountain's interests in Nanzhou could be preserved.

How could he not be relieved?

At the mention of the six hundred thousand prisoners, Shang Chaozong lowered his eyes to the victory report in his hand and gave a cold laugh.

"Luo Zhao behaved arrogantly and actually sent a white horse as funeral mourning for a gift."

"Marshal Meng's generous return gift is already on the road."

"I wonder what expression Luo Zhao will make when he receives it."

At the mention of that return gift, the corner of Huang Lie's mouth could not help twitching.

Meng Shanming's return gift was simply too domineering.

Too intimidating.

And somewhat cruel.

He had answered without the slightest courtesy.

Bloody, even.

A grand gesture indeed.

At one order from Meng Shanming, one ear had been cut from every one of the six hundred thousand prisoners.

The ears were packed into crates and sent to Luo Zhao.

They were already on the road.

One could imagine what would happen once the news spread.

The story of Meng Shanming returning six hundred thousand ears as a generous gift would greatly magnify the prestige of Yan.

What neither man knew was that, for the moment, neither the Song court nor Luo Zhao even knew Meng Shanming held six hundred thousand prisoners.

...

Inside the rear palace of Yanjing, women were chattering everywhere.

The entire place was in disorder.

Some news simply could not be concealed.

Song's army was about to reach Yanjing.

His Majesty was preparing to withdraw.

Today he would take everyone who was leaving with him.

The noble ladies in every residence were hurriedly packing their belongings, afraid they would still be unprepared when the departure order came and anger His Majesty by delaying the journey.

"Your Highness, every courtyard is packing. Should we prepare anything?"

Xiaohong returned to the cold and quiet courtyard and reported what she had learned to Zhou Qing, who was tending the flowers and plants.

Zhou Qing's hands paused.

Her reply was mournful.

"What do we still have left to pack?"

The two maids exchanged a glance and lowered their heads sadly.

All the valuables this place once possessed had long since been spent greasing palms.

Apart from a few changes of clothing, there truly was nothing left to pack.

If word came, everything could be bundled up at once without any trouble.

Just then, the sound of many footsteps came from outside.

They seemed to be running in every direction.

The steps were orderly.

Armor scraped and clattered.

Zhou Qing tilted her head to listen.

Xiaohong immediately turned to see what was happening.

But the moment she reached the doorway, several eunuchs blocked her and forced her back.

What lay on the tray held by the eunuch in front terrified Xiaohong into retreating step after step.

A folded strip of white silk lay upon the tray.

Beside it stood a flask of wine.

Anyone who had lived long in the palace knew too well what it meant when such things were brought out.

Xiaohong backed away in terror and shouted, "What are you trying to do?"

The leading eunuch ignored her.

Carrying the tray, he walked straight toward Zhou Qing.

Two eunuchs remained at the courtyard gate to block the way.

"This servant greets Noble Consort Zhou."

The leading eunuch stopped before Zhou Qing and bowed respectfully.

The moment Zhou Qing saw what he carried, she froze.

The shears dropped from her hand with a clatter.

The eunuch sighed.

"Your Highness, this servant will not waste words."

"There are two things here. Please choose one yourself."

Zhou Qing pressed her lips together.

"Whose order is this?"

"Her Majesty the Empress's?"

The eunuch said, "It is the Chief Steward's order. This servant is only carrying out instructions."

"Your Highness is magnanimous. If there was anything in the past for which this servant offended you, I apologize here and now."

"Once Your Highness has gone to your blissful rest, I hope you will not hold a grudge against this servant."

Zhou Qing laughed.

It was a miserable laugh.

She understood too clearly.

No matter how much power Chief Steward Tian Yu possessed inside the palace, he would never dare treat her like this on his own initiative.

She was, after all, the Emperor's woman.

Even if Tian Yu had one hundred lives, he would not dare kill her without authority.

By naming the Chief Steward, the eunuch had already told her whose intention truly lay behind the order.

Zhou Qing gave another bitter laugh.

"This Consort is about to set out on her final road."

"I ask only one thing."

"Let me see His Majesty one last time and bid him farewell."

The leading eunuch shook his head.

"Impossible."

"Every passage outside has already been sealed by the Imperial Guards. No one may enter or leave without authorization. That includes Your Highness."

Tears filled Zhou Qing's eyes.

"May I not even know why I am to die?"

"Can you not at least let me die understanding?"

The leading eunuch hesitated.

At last he sighed.

"Your Highness must have heard that Song's army is about to attack the capital."

"For ease of withdrawal, not everyone can be taken."

"The Chief Steward is also acting for His Majesty's sake."

"The rear palace is filled with beauties. If all of them were mixed into the temporary withdrawal of the army, their numbers would be far too large and conspicuous. It would look improper and damage the people's confidence and the army's morale."

"Yet if Your Highness and the other noble ladies were left behind, once the city fell there would be fear that enemy soldiers might defile you."

"The Chief Steward truly means well."

"Please do not resent him."

"Nor will Your Highness be lonely on the road. Other noble ladies will accompany you."

So that was the reason.

Zhou Qing's eyes overflowed.

She shook her head and choked out, "His Majesty is too heartless."

"He has forgotten all the tenderness I once gave him."

There was no choice before her.

The only choice she possessed lay between the two things on the tray.

She could only hate that her father had died too early.

If Zhou Shouxian were still alive and still held power in his hands, the Emperor would never have dared treat her this way.

"Your Highness, you should set out sooner rather than later," the leading eunuch urged.

Zhou Qing slowly reached out.

She took the strip of white silk from the tray and turned toward the room.

Her steps were dazed and empty.

"Your Highness!"

The two maids wept and tried to stop her, but two eunuchs seized them.

Zhou Qing moved too slowly.

Once inside, she stared at the roof beam for a long time without acting.

The leading eunuch finally lost patience.

He waved a hand.

"We still have to hurry to the next residence. We cannot delay matters."

"Give Her Highness a hand."

"Send Her Highness on her way!"

One eunuch snatched the white silk from Zhou Qing's hands.

He dragged over a stool, climbed onto it, threw one end of the silk over the beam, drew the two ends even, and tied the knot.

Zhou Qing suddenly felt her body grow light.

Another eunuch had lifted her up.

Working with the eunuch on the stool, he slipped her neck through the loop.

Then both men released her.

One stepped away.

The other jumped down and kicked the stool over.

Zhou Qing was left hanging from the beam, legs kicking desperately as she struggled.

"Your Highness!"

The two maids being restrained outside the doorway cried out in grief.

Then several eunuchs turned and seized the maids as well, forcing their mouths open.

The leading eunuch poured cups of poisoned wine.

He looked at the two women coldly.

"Her Highness may lack attendants on the road."

"You two will accompany her."

"Remember to serve Her Highness properly."

The two women stared in terror.

The leading eunuch showed no mercy.

A cup of poison was poured into each of their mouths.

Other eunuchs clamped the women's mouths shut so they could not spit it out.

Before long, both bodies stiffened and began to convulse.

Zhou Qing's struggling gradually weakened as well.

Two lines of tears ran down her face.

Her eyes were filled with despair.

She remembered the days when she had stood in splendor.

His Majesty had doted on her in every possible way.

Even the Empress had yielded three parts to her.

Splendor like a dream.

The past like smoke.

The leading eunuch looked back at the body hanging from the beam.

"Two of you remain. Make sure all three are truly dead before coming to find me."

"The rest follow me to the next residence."

With that, he hurried away.

It did not take long.

Throughout the rear palace, corpses soon swung from the rafters of many rooms.

Others lay on the floor, faces darkened by poison.

High in a palace pavilion, Lingjian Mountain Sect Leader Meng Xuan listened to the pleading and weeping filling the rear palace.

His eyes remained closed.

His face showed no expression.

He knew what was happening.

He would not interfere.

Not far away, the Empress emerged leading a group of selected palace women.

Every one of those noble ladies looked pale.

The Empress herself was no exception.

All of them had been badly frightened.

Even many of the Empress's own maids had suddenly been disposed of.

The Empress alone was allowed to take four maids.

Every other noble lady could take only two.

Anyone beyond that number had been sent on the road before their very eyes.

How could these women not be terrified?

They had nearly been frightened out of their wits.

The eunuchs who had gone throughout the palace doing the killing soon gathered together again.

They assembled in a courtyard to report completion of their tasks.

But the moment everyone had arrived, a group of Imperial Guards surrounded them.

Archers appeared above.

Arrows hissed down in a sudden rain.

Screaming eunuchs fell everywhere.

Blood pooled and flowed across the ground.

Among the dead were the very eunuchs who had handled Zhou Qing.

Afterward, Imperial Guards moved among the bodies and stabbed them again to make certain.

Not a single one was spared.

...

The great audience hall stood empty.

Only Shang Jianxiong sat upon the dragon throne.

Chief Steward Tian Yu entered at a quick pace.

He climbed the side steps, came to Shang Jianxiong's side, and lowered his voice.

"The noble ladies have all been sent on their way."

"The servants who were disrespectful toward them have also been disposed of cleanly."

"Your Majesty, it is getting late."

"You may issue the departure order."

The muscles in Shang Jianxiong's face shifted slightly.

He rose from the dragon throne and began descending the steps.

Tian Yu followed half a pace behind.

The two had only just reached the doors of the great hall when someone outside began shouting.

"Victory report! Victory report!"

"Your Majesty, a victory report!"

Grand Marshal Shang Yongzhong came running toward them, waving the dispatch in one hand.

He no longer cared about even the most basic dignity of his station.

He scrambled up the steps in obvious panic, panting for breath as he saluted and reported the good news.

"Your Majesty, our army has won a great victory!"

"Song's two million elite river-defense troops have been completely destroyed!"

He was so happy he could almost cry.

Damn it.

The Emperor had ordered him to lead one hundred thousand troops in defending Yanjing and fight the enemy to the death.

He had been given no choice but to accept.

There genuinely was no one more suitable than him.

Who had told him to be Great Yan's Grand Marshal?

[End of Chapter 696]